AMD and Intel's dual-core chips are also different in how they are built. AMD's Opteron was designed from the ground up to evolve from a single core to multiple cores. The Pentium evolution was expected to continue in a single-core format for several more years.
With that in mind, AMD says data flow better between its cores because of a feature it calls its Direct Connect architecture. It is characterized as a "dedicated pipe" for information to flow through. They get a substantial amount of the performance through an interface that's designed to take the load.
Intel's initial dual-core offering will be more of a place holder than a real technology breakthrough. They are behind right now, but they don't want to appear behind or admit it.
Intel endured a rough 2004 with execution problems and product delays. The company also trailed AMD in its rollout of chips capable of processing data in chunks of 64 and 32 bits. Its accelerated dual-core plans were due to AMD setting its launch sights on mid-2005.